Chapter the Fifteenth
Archie was being prodded awake. He was not happy with this development. Groaning, he rolled over, trying to escape the incessant poking. Burying his still aching head in a soft pillow, he was determined to wait it out.
Theresa looked down at Archie, bemused by his reaction to her. Truthfully, she hadn't touched him at all, attempting instead to give him a mental prod awake. It seemed to work, she just needed to poke harder. Archie was far too stubborn sometimes, just as she was. She smiled and draped herself across Archie's back. They were a good match then. Heaving a sigh, she settled more comfortably against her partner and reached up to play with his hair, beginning to chant in her mind.
Archie, Archie, !
Theresa shrieked as he exploded up out of the pillows, tossing her off his back. Grabbing the sheets to stop herself from flying off the bed, she chanced a look up at him. He knelt on the bed, murderous glare on his face as he threateningly held a pillow over his head.
"What?" he snarled. Theresa bit her lip to keep from laughing; he was so cute when he was all surly and had bedhead. She sat up beside him and tilted her head cutely. (At least she knew it was cute as soon as she did it, because that's how Archie saw it. Hmm. Helpful.)
Time to wake up. How do you feel?
Archie groaned and flopped back down to the bed, pillow tossed harmlessly to the side.
Still pretty shitty, but not quite as bad. I can see now at least. Do I really have to get up?
Yes. We need to talk to the others before Hera does. You don't trust her, and I'm suspicious myself. Jay needs to be told by us what happened.
Archie heaved a very much put upon sigh, rubbing his face against the sheets. She was right of course; not that that made it any easier to get up. Propping himself up on his elbows he looked over at her, catching her gaze. There were so many other things he would rather be doing at the moment than getting up for a team meeting, no matter how important or overdue. Like sleeping for one thing. Or at least putting their enormous bed to good use...
He yelped as Theresa smacked him over the head with a pillow, her cheeks flushed scarlet.
Mind out of the gutter please. Now is not the time for those kinds of thoughts. UP!
Archie chuckled as Theresa left the bed, both of them knowing he would do as she bid momentarily. Shaking his head, he let himself take a few minutes to have a very good stretch and work out some of the kinks in his muscles. The pain wasn't as bad, but he still felt achy all over, like when they had a long workout. He would have to soak in the hot spring after, maybe see if Theresa would rub his shoulders...?
He smirked and finally got out of bed as she sent him an agreeable thought, along with a promise of certain other activities if he was a good boy and hurried up now. Slipping on his sandals, he shuffled over to the door where Theresa stood waiting. Arching an eyebrow at him, she let him wrap an arm about her waist and give her a quick kiss before tugging at his arm to get him moving. Smirking down at her, he kept his arm around her as they walked down the hall toward the team dining room.
Will they all be there?
He eyed Theresa as she frowned in concentration. She gave a sharp nod.
Most of them are there now, or on their way. Odie is just around the corner.
Sure enough, as they turned the corner, they spotted Odie coming from another hallway that led to Hephaestus' workshop. Archie raised a hand in greeting.
"Hey Odie. You going to lunch?" he called. The younger boy paused, waiting for them to catch up. The pair noticed his quick glance at Archie's arm and the way they stood together, before giving them both a large smile.
"Yup, decided to take a quick break, stretch my legs. Are you guys heading there too? We haven't seen you two around at all," Odie said hopefully, walking beside Theresa as they moved down the hall. Apparently he wasn't about to say anything about their comfortable closeness, which suited Archie just fine. If the rest of the team took it in stride like that, this would be an easy day!
Theresa shot him a dubious glance, and he shrugged back at her. He didn't really expect it, but it would be nice.
"Yes, we're heading there ourselves. There have been some...developments...that we need to discuss with everyone," Theresa answered Odie. She hid a smile as he tried to give them a covert look over, eyes once again lingering on Archie's arm.
"You don't say," Odie mused wryly. Archie grinned down at him and gave Theresa a quick squeeze.
"In more than one way, O.," he smirked. The younger boy just shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. As far as he was concerned, it was about time something happened between anyone on the team. Granted, at the beginning of all this, he thought it might be Jay and Theresa, or Atlanta and Archie. He gave a mental shrug. Funny how things turned out sometimes...
Theresa and Archie shared another look as they followed Odie into the dining room. That was one down; four more to go. Seeing that the other four were already seated at the table and had noticed their entrance, Theresa pulled away from Archie to seat herself across from Jay. Their Leader looked tired and somewhat resigned, the normal hints of jealousy faded from his eyes. A curious anger and suspicion filled them now, though Theresa did not feel it was directed at either herself or Archie. She wondered just what had happened to cause such a look, and felt guilty for being so separated from her family for so long. The gods were unreasonable, keeping them apart like this.
Archie sat beside her, giving her shoulder a squeeze. That was why they were here, now; it was what they came to discuss in the first place. Otherwise, he noted, he would still be in bed. Theresa refrained from physically rolling her eyes, but sent him the mental equivalent. She could feel him pouting in return. Clearing her throat, she caught Jay eye.
"Jay. We need to speak. All of us," she said quietly, immediately capturing everyone's attention. Even Herry paused, hand caught in the bread basket. Her words were innocuous enough, but her tone brooked no room for argument.
"Yes. We do," Jay agreed just as quietly. The room acquired a certain chill, and Neil tried not to shudder. Things had just gone from normal to incredibly tense in seconds; he wondered if they would ignore him if he just didn't move...Atlanta gave him a harsh poke and glared menacingly at him. This was no time to be acting like an idiot. Even if it felt like the world was going to explode at any second. Theresa just nodded calmly as Archie helped himself to the food, serving the both of them. She gestured toward her Leader.
"Please. You first," she smiled invitingly, earning her more than a few raised eyebrows. Only Archie did not react, though considering he had an inside view of her thought processes, he knew exactly what moves she was going to make.
He suddenly realized he would probably never be able to play any type of game against her that relied on actual skill and strategy, rather than blind luck. A mental shove from her quickly got him back on track, listening to what Jay had to say while he slowly picked at his food.
Jay sighed roughly as he regarded his team members, having a fair idea of at least some of what they wanted to discuss. He had seen them walk in, wrapped up in one another. And while there had been a slight flare of jealousy, it was slight and buried very deeply. More of the type that lent itself towards generalities than specifics. He didn't think he was jealous of Archie having Theresa, any longer. More, jealous of the relationship itself. Herry was a great partner, but only in so many ways. He shook his head tiredly, wondering when his thoughts had run off into tangents. They had business to discuss.
"We haven't seen the pair of you in over three weeks," he began slowly, trying to keep his voice neutral. "When I asked Hera if we might have some training time with you, as we've had with each other, she refused. She said that it would disrupt the training methods that the gods had in place for us. Given that the rest of the team has trained together, and with each others mentors, I find it hard to believe that you would truly be that disrupted. I find myself wondering if there isn't something more going on, that she might not want us to know about."
Only Archie was eating now. Atlanta bit her lip as she leaned into Neil, remembering how they had disobeyed orders to spy on Archie and Theresa. And the aftermath of that little adventure. Herry seemed to have lost his appetite for once as tension coiled in his belly, listening to the slightly threatening undertones of Jay's speech. He had spent many weeks in close quarters with the other boy, and had become quite adept at figuring out what Jay really meant when he spoke. Their Leader could speak in many layers when he wanted to, and right now Herry got the feeling that while Jay was suspicious of the pair before them, he was more suspicious of the gods themselves.
"Truly, it would be a reprieve to be able to train with the rest of you. Persephone and Ares push us quite hard. A little too hard, some might say," Theresa glanced slyly at Archie from the corner of her eye. He rolled his eyes and scowled softly at her, gesturing for her to get on with it. She smiled and dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Unfortunately, it appears the gods wished to focus on how best to turn us into a weapon, rather than how for us to grow in order to better aid the team overall."
"How so?" Jay furrowed his brow. That did not sound very promising, and he felt a surge of irrational anger towards the Olympians. A thought had been brewing in his mind, a wondering about just how far the Olympians were willing to go in order to win this war...
Odie sat back, feeling as though he were watching a tennis match rather than a team discussion. Not that there was much of the team involved; only Jay and Theresa were conversing, though Archie seemed to be somehow giving Theresa input, if their shared looks were anything to go by. Not for the first time he found himself wondering about the feasibility of them surviving, let alone winning, this war they had been caught up in.
"By treating her like a freaking science experiment instead of a human being, that's how," Archie snorted crossly, earning him a Look from his partner. Which he, of course, duly ignored. "They figured out how to get her to manifest all that psychic energy into physical form, and control it as a weapon. Only, they only see the benefits of it. And not the consequences."
"Which are?" Jay demanded sternly, eyeing Theresa unhappily. He knew it, he knew that the gods were messing around with his team!
"It's killing her," Archie answered bluntly. He watched carefully as Jay froze, his jaw clenching tightly. He could see the other man's knuckles going white, his nostril flaring in anger, and wondered if they would actually see Jay finally just lose it.
Jay felt his vision narrow as he tried to focus on breathing and remaining calm. It would do them no good to go off half cocked, and scream at the gods for their manipulations and machinations. They were only mortals after all; it's what the gods did. They had done it with their ancestors, and they would do so again with the Seven. Not that Jay had to like it, not one damn bit! Lowering his head, he forced himself to relax his clenched fists, feeling more than seeing Herry's concerned gaze. Flattening his palms against the table, he raised his eyes to meet Theresa's once more.
Her gaze was calm and unyielding; at first glance she looked fine. But upon closer scrutiny, Jay could see the shadows beneath her eyes; the paleness of her skin and how tight her features seemed. He glanced over at Archie, quickly assessing the other man. He too looked far from healthy, a lingering pain evident in his eyes; he kept squinting against the bright flashes of light that the plates threw off. Jay's anger was quickly being matched by his guilt; he should have insisted on having access to all his team members. Then maybe he could have prevented at least some of what he saw before him.
Damn the gods. Damn Cronus. Damn them all to the deepest pits of Tartarus.
"Jay? There's more," Theresa quietly broke his thoughts. He resisted the urge to snort ruefully and merely raised an eyebrow at her, urging her to continue. "It's true what Archie said; manifesting that type of energy in such a way takes a toll on my body. It wasn't built to withstand that kind of force, and so it breaks more easily. But I think Archie and I may have inadvertently put a hitch in whatever plan the gods were thinking of."
"You could say that. We had a bit of an accident in training earlier today. And by a bit, I mean one hugely colossal fuck up," Archie huffed, leaning back against the large throw pillows. No offense, but it was a bit of an oopsie we had there. Theresa bit back a smile, knowing that it was not his intent to hurt her with his words.
"Dare I even ask?" Jay sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could definitely feel a headache of his own coming on.
"It seems I...accidentally...entered Archie's mind. We were meditating earlier today, and I got lost. I latched onto Archie, a bit too tightly it seems. Persephone's says it irreversible and permanent," Theresa explained gently, watching Jay for signs of an imminent break down. "Archie and I are telepathically connected now."
Jay shook his head, dazedly sitting back to look at them. Archie and Theresa shared a glance while the rest of the team held their breaths, waiting for a reaction out of their Leader. Herry was slightly confused by it all; Odie was contemplating whether or not it would be rude to ask to study them; Neil was trying, and failing, to contain his inner glee that the two of them were finally together, and stuck that way to boot; and Atlanta was biting her lip as she clung to Neil, feeling slightly off kilter at this revelation, unsure of how to react.
"Huh. Well, that's a new twist, isn't it," Jay muttered, absentmindedly scratching his chin. A collective feeling of disbelief coloured the room at this understatement, and Neil actually let his head fall into his palm with a disgruntled sigh. "So...how does this affect the gods, exactly?"
"Because we don't know how this will affect Archie. If even my body can't handle the pressure of my naturally occurring powers, I don't think Archie will be able to take very much of it," Theresa mused, Archie nodding along with her.
"I don't know if the gods are quite that desperate yet. I hope they aren't, 'cause it fucking hurts whenever her powers touch me. I don't wanna be rendered brain dead in this war, thank you very much," Archie continued. Theresa smirked at him.
And that would differ from now, how, exactly...?
Archie scowled at her, coating his thought processes in a heavy layer of sarcasm.
Ahahaha, you're just soooo funny.
Theresa simply gave him an arch little look, nose tilting up in the air.
I know.
"Are...you guys...you know, doing it right now?" Odie interrupted them, a hungrily curious look on his face. Archie snorted and fell over laughing.
Damn, but I wish we were!
Theresa smacked him with a pillow. Hard. With a resounding thud.
"If by that, you mean speaking to one another, then yes. Archie has a rather filthy mind sometimes," she glared down at him.
"Oh come on Terri! Are we 'doing it'? I mean hey, for all we know we could mentally do any number of things. Things that could be referred to as 'it'," Archie propped himself up on an elbow, waggling his eyebrows outrageously at her. Odie flushed as he realized his poor choice of words.
"I didn't mean-! I mean, that's not-! Sorry!" he cringed, embarrassed, as Archie hooted with laughter. Theresa gave him a warm smile and shook her head.
"It's alright Odie. Some of us here are mature enough to understand what you actually meant," she said pointedly. Archie just waved dismissively at her, preferring to have a good laugh. She pursed her lips and gave Odie an apologetic glance. "If you'll excuse us a minute."
Archie, will you shut up? Honestly, you're embarrassing poor Odie!
Hey, you got to have a damn good laugh last night. Which reminds me, what did you find so damn funny?
None of your business. Now shut up!
Hmm...is that...Cronus? And are we...HA! Yeah I can see why you found it so funny!
Archie! Stop snooping, damn it. I'm trying to shame you into silence here!
Pfft, that ain't gonna work beautiful. I have no shame.
Oh really? That's some very lovely poetry you have floating around in the back of your mind. Did you write it yourself? For a certain...Mindy Jones?
...Theresa, I was twelve! So not cool!
The rest of the team sat round the table watching in fascination the pair before them. Archie's laughter slowly died out , the expressions on his face ranging from curiosity, to delight, to superiority, to finally a combination of anxiety and embarrassment covered by a sort of blustering outrage. Theresa meanwhile had started off looking rather annoyed and frustrated, but now she sat with her arms crossed, a smug look on her face as she grinned down at Archie. He gave her a mighty scowl, but relented with a huff and turned away from her. She let out a delighted laugh and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, satisfied that she had won that round.
"That's gonna take some getting used to," Herry shook his head, and reached out to refill his plate. Truth be told, it was slightly creepy to see them having a completely silent conversation. Oh sure, they could all communicate with looks and gestures alone if they had, but those two were carrying on a full conversation. Really, argument, from the looks of it. Without saying a damn thing aloud, except to laugh. Creepy. Sweet that they were all together and stuff now, but still. Creepy.
"Yeah, just wait until she starts reading your minds too. That's when it's gonna get weird," Archie shuddered, vaguely wondering if it would be possible for them all to be linked together in some type of strange, Vulcan like mind meld. Theresa gave him a nonplussed look and shrugged. Anything was possible, she supposed, but she wasn't about to start trying. At least, not at the moment. Archie raised an eyebrow back at her. So, she might consider the possibility. Interesting.
"They're doing it again," Neil stage whispered, not bothering to hide the ridiculous grin on his face. Theresa shrugged and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Sorry, can't really help it. We don't need words to communicate, so conversations go a lot faster in our minds," she said. "And don't worry, I don't plan on invading any other minds, any time soon."
"For which I am sure we are all grateful," Jay dryly commented. His gaze flickered to Archie. "You said it was killing her?"
The momentarily uplifted spirit in the room plummeted at those words, a stony, chilled silence replacing it.
"Yes."
"No."
Theresa and Archie glared at one another at their contradictory words, stubbornly disagreeing on the matter. Jay scowled at the both of them, his patience clearly at its rather considerable limits. Smacking a hand down sharply on the table to get their attention, he decided to ignore Theresa and focus on Archie.
"Archie. You said it was killing her. Is it really that bad; and if so, what are we going to do about it?" he demanded, glaring and holding up a hand to forestall any arguments from Theresa. "I want to hear Archie's opinion first."
It was a startling thing, Archie decided, seeing Jay well and truly angry. He couldn't remember it ever happening before, not to this level. And certainly not towards Theresa. Oddly enough, he felt his respect for his Leader go up a few notches. And felt relieved that Jay would actually take this as seriously as he did; Theresa certainly didn't seem inclined to do so, he noted derisively. Sending that little thought off to her, he crossed his arms with a frown.
"Theresa may not seem to think it's that serious, but then, she's generally rendered unconscious when it happens, so," Archie said pointedly, ignoring the scathing look his partner sent him. "It wasn't so bad at first, the pain. A few muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting, that kind of thing. But it's been getting progressively worse the more she pushes. This last time she was coughing up blood and ruptured her spleen. Not to mention all the nerve damage she gets from the electric currents that run through her body when she, for lack of a better term, 'powers up'.
She gets sporadic full body cramps, and her heart has some kind of arrhythmia now. Chiron does a pretty good job of patching her up, but he can only do so much. And her body keeps accumulating scar tissue each time it happens. That's not healthy. What worries me is what if she pushes too hard one day, and has a seizure, or a stroke? We're dealing with something that nobody has ever seen before, something we can't predict."
"We're also fighting in a war that's just as unpredictable. Maybe I'm willing to take those chances if it means giving us an edge over Cronus," Theresa broke in, wanting to argue her side. Archie snorted disdainfully.
"Yeah? Well maybe I'm not. Maybe this team is not willing to take those risks," Archie spat vehemently. He gestured towards the others. "I mean, I know we haven't really acted like a team in who knows how long, but the fact remains that the decision is not yours alone to make, Theresa. And what happens if we are in the middle of a fight, and suddenly your body decides not to cooperate with you? Huh? That just makes you more of a liability than anything!"
"Well, it doesn't look like it really matters anymore, now does it? Not with you stuck in my head! I can't even have a damn vision anymore!" Theresa cried, throwing up her hands.
"And whose fault is that?" Archie sneered at her. He could feel her anger mixing with his, a tremendous force simmering below the surface. It was tempered only by the fact that she could feel his underlying concern and genuine fear for her; he didn't want to hurt her, he just wanted to make her realize the danger she was putting herself in. And by extension, the rest of them.
"Time out, you two," Jay interrupted sternly. The headache he had felt building was full on throbbing now, and he hadn't even spoken to Hera yet. He rubbed at his forehead tiredly, not for the first time wishing that this was all a bad dream that he had yet to wake up from.
"So, to recap: Theresa is injuring herself each time she uses her powers, getting exponentially worse. It could potentially put the rest of the team at risk. But, for the time being and as far as we know, it has been rendered null and void due to complications of some kind of mental smash up with Archie. Sound about right?" Jay recited, ticking off points on his fingers. Archie and Theresa both grudgingly nodded in agreement, having crossly turned away from one another.
Jay sighed harshly, rubbing a weary hand over his face. He was exhausted; mentally, emotionally, physically...this war was draining in every possible way, and he just wished for it to be over. Glancing around at his team, he could see that drain mirrored in each of their faces. There was an age to them now that had not been present two years ago, a heaviness that simple maturity alone could not account for. Even Neil had a certain graveness now that sometimes tempered his natural inclinations toward levity in the face of adversity, startlingly enough.
Putting on what Jay liked to think of as his "Leader" face, he stood and gazed down at his team.
"Alright, that's it. Training is cancelled for the rest of the day, for all of us. I want us to spend the rest of the day together, away from the gods and just relaxing," he decided.
"Oh thank god," Archie groaned, letting his head drop into his hands. He waved one of them slightly. "Well, thank Jay, actually, but you know what I mean. I feel like shit. Can we go relax in the hot springs?"
"Ooo, yes, please can we?" Neil piped up, eager to get in on the hot spring action that he had been unfairly missing until now.
"Who has a hot spring?" Herry wondered, standing up and stretching. A loud crack came from his back and he sighed in relief.
"We do. A fact which Neil is quite jealous of," Theresa smirked at the blond, who pouted back at her.
"Damn right I am. So, let's go," he hopped up and made shooing motions towards the doors. Atlanta rolled her eyes and gave him a poke.
"Bathing suits, Neil. We might need them," she pointed out sarcastically. "At least, I know I want one."
"Just for you? I know I am irresistibly gorgeous, but Atlanta, you naughty girl," Neil grinned teasingly at her, enjoying the flush working its way over her cheeks. He couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or anger, though he was good with either one. She gave him a hard shove out the door.
"I swear Neil, one of these days..." she grumbled threateningly and followed after him.
"Ah, I see you don't deny it!" Neil laughed. The rest of the team shook their heads. Neil definitely had an unimaginable streak of good luck, to be able to get away with teasing Atlanta as much as he did on a regular basis. Theresa laughed and looked to the rest of the boys.
"We'll met you guys at our room, then," she smiled, happy to be able to spend some quality time with her friends. They all nodded and parted ways, assuring the pair they would be there in a few minutes. Archie grabbed Theresa's hand as they walked back to their rooms, hoping that she wasn't too angry with him. She just sighed and gave his hand a squeeze. She might be angry, but his reasoning was justifiable. It was difficult to mad with somebody for caring about you, try as she might.
And he honestly wasn't trying to hurt her with his comments, he just wanted her to see his view on what was happening to them. If anything did happen in the middle of a battle, he knew he would be completely distracted by what was happening to her, and not paying attention to the battle at hand. If he was even able to retain consciousness if something happened to her. They just couldn't tell what would happen in any circumstances now. And even Theresa had to admit it was a terrifying prospect, when thought of in those terms. She didn't much care what happened to her, but if something should happen to Archie...?
Slipping into their rooms, she pulled him to a stop and tugged him down towards her, lips meeting in a gentle kiss. She was sorry for being so stubborn, and for worrying him so much. The desperation for this war to be over was beginning to take a serious toll on her mental health. Archie slipped his arms around her waist, tugging her closer in acceptance. Giving her a squeeze, he tugged her into their bedroom.
Hot springs are calling my name. And I believe I was promised a shoulder rub?
Theresa laughed as they both went looking for their bathing suits, changing quickly as they waited for the rest of their friends. Grabbing a stack of towels as Archie slipped into the water, she paused for a moment to admire how far he had come in battling his fear of water. She could see the tips of his ears flushing with embarrassed pride as she sent that little thought along to him. A knock at the door forestalled any further comments, and Theresa went to let their friends in.
Neil flashed her a bright grin as he sauntered in, clad in obnoxiously bright blue board shorts. Atlanta followed casually after him, chatting quietly with Odie, as Jay and Herry filed in after them.
"Come on in guys. Welcome to our humble abode," Theresa grinned warmly, gesturing them further in as she shut the door behind them. "Archie's already in the springs. It's just through the bedroom; I'm just going to make some tea. Neil, will you give me a hand?"
The blond pouted, as he would much rather be jumping into the hot springs at that very moment, but he was a master of making tea. And he would not let his team mates down!
"Fine," he sighed dramatically and followed the red head into the kitchenette. He could hear the low exclamations of his other team mates as they too saw the enormous bed for the first time, and wondered at the expression on Jay's face at that very moment. Theresa shot him a stern look and he raised in hands in surrender. He quirked an eyebrow at her. "So...you can't read anybody else's mind, right?"
"No Neil, only Archie's. Though, it's not exactly difficult to read your face sometimes," she smirked at him, pulling out her tea things. "Like earlier in the lunchroom. You were practically glowing with inner glee. Not very subtle."
"Well, I wasn't really going for subtle I suppose," he shrugged, measuring out tea leaves. He shot her a tentative glance. "How are you feeling? After last week, I mean, and well, now this..."
Theresa paused to give Neil an admiring glance, remembering what Archie said about Neil carrying her to their rooms, despite her being covered in filth. About how he and Atlanta had been spying on them, and then stayed while Chiron tended to her, worried all the while.
"I'm feeling much better, thank you Neil," she smiled softly. Neil shrugged nonchalantly, leaning against the counter as they water for the water to boil.
"Good, good. I know Atlanta was pretty worried, about the both of you," he said, attempting to affect an air of indifference. He didn't fool Theresa. She deftly changed the subject.
"I'm sorry for that. How have the two of you been? It has been awhile since we've all talked. You two are still getting along?" Theresa gave him an innocent smile; it caused the hair on the nape of his neck to stand on end.
"Oh we're fine, just fine," Neil answered breezily, waving a hand at her. "You know, we fight still, but it's not really fighting, you know? She's actually a lot of fun to be around."
"Mmm. Still have two beds then?" she smirked mischievously, biting back a laugh as Neil shot her a scandalized look.
"Well, I never! And what about you and Archie, hmm? I'm sure you don't actually use most of that bed. At least not to keep the two of you apart," he smirked at her. She shook her head.
"Oh no you don't, we're talking about you and Atlanta. And you never answered my question," she retorted, stacking the teapot and cups onto a tray. Neil pushed her gently aside and grabbed it himself with a sigh.
"Yes, we still have two beds. No, I don't see that changing in the foreseeable future," he rolled his eyes, feeling very put upon. He bit his lip as they moved into the bedroom, pausing before the bathroom door. He could hear the rest of the team talking and splashing, Atlanta's bright laughter ringing out. He gave Theresa a beseeching look.
"I...I think she's...my best friend, Theresa. And I don't want to ruin that," he murmured softly, a look of innocent confusion in his eyes. Theresa had to hold herself back from smothering him in a tight embrace, a rush of familial love overtaking her for a moment. She felt Archie send an enquiring thought to her; he must have felt it too. Shaking her head, she gave Neil a smile.
"I won't say anything," she promised. Neil gave her a bright, somewhat wobbly grin and straightened up, overwhelming self-confidence flooding back to suffuse his whole demeanour. With a nod, he opened the bathroom door and swaggered in, cheerfully calling out to his friends. Theresa followed after, a secretive smile lighting her features when Archie gave her a curious look. She shook her head and shut the door, trying not to think about the conversation she and Neil had just shared. She wasn't sure how much she could keep secret from Archie, but she could try.
Pausing for a moment there in the doorway, she watched her friends laughing together, splashing and teasing one another as they let the tension flow from their bodies. Moments like this had become a rare thing indeed, far too rare for her liking. Her heart tugged in her chest and with a soft smile she took a step forward to join them.
Her vision doubled suddenly, splitting in front of her in a way she had never encountered before. She froze, watching different futures play out in her mind; a thousand outcomes for every minute choice made, that would be made and for every choice that wasn't made. The future was in flux around her and she tried to grab onto the threads, to follow them down until they were clear; but they were too entangled with one another, a giant knot that would only be unwound with Time. Time and choice, the fate of everything resting on one decision.
Her sight snapped back into focus just as suddenly as it had gone out, leaving her with a headache and a pounding heart. She noticed Archie rubbing his head with a grimace, and let out a trembling breath. He was fine, he was safe.
For now.
Theresa shuddered and tried to brush aside the apprehension that crept through her veins and walked on weak legs to join her friends. The future would keep for now. She just wanted this- one more moment of bliss, one more afternoon of love and companionship. The calm before the storm. Peace before the war.
It would see her through.
A/N: Well, would you look at that? An update! Madness! This chapter gave me a TON of trouble, so I hope anybody who reads it enjoys it a little. Lol, if anybody is still reading it. I know there may be a couple of you out there! And I love you for it. At least it's only been 6 months and not a couple years since the last update. Holy crap on a cracker I really need to finish this story.